Emily Scarratt: 10 fitness secrets from the England women’s rugby team

With the England women’s rugby team continuing their defence of their World Cup title against the USA today, vice-captain Emily Scarratt, who was top scorer when England lifted the trophy in 2014, tells Mark Bailey how she and her teammates get fit for battle

1. Move some tin in the weights room

“There is probably a preconception among some women that if you lift weights all of a sudden you will grow enormous muscles but that is obviously not true. It’s about making yourself feel good and putting your body in a position where it is able to deal with everyday life at a canter. Weights definitely make you feel good without making you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"We do a variety of things but for the lower-body it’s often squats, lunges, step-ups and rack-pulls, which are like the top phase of a deadlift. For the upper-body, the norms are bench-presses, pull-ups, shoulder-presses and complex movements like cleans and snatches.

"I am not one of the strongest girls so I am not throwing a huge amount of tin around the gym.”

2. Sharpen up your reaction speeds

“In my position we need to do a lot of work on our speed. We have had sprint coaches in in the past. But I like the speed sessions, the explosive plyometric sessions and the core work.

"For speed and reactions we work on little jumps, hops, skips and bounds, and simple things like bringing your toes up and reacting off the ground when you sprint. We also do resisted walks with a band or a pulley and lots of accelerations and change of direction stuff which has definitely helped over the years.”

3. Power up with cheesy music

“I am never the one who is brave enough to bring out my playlists in the gym but the girls certainly bring an eclectic mix to the table. One day it is 80s pop, the next it is cheesy pop, then there is some hardcore R&B so we get a real mixture.

"On a Friday or Monday morning when you need some energy the music really helps so sometimes a bit of B*Witched is never a bad thing. Who thought I’d ever say that sentence?”

4. Eat for enjoyment as well as energy

“I love my food like most people do so I stick to a healthy balanced diet. I eat food because I enjoy it. I don’t eat it because it is fuel.

"I am a bit of a foodie so I enjoy what I eat. I would rather eat something I want to eat that comes with all the right nutritional benefits whereas some people hammer the same meal for five days in a row. I like to experiment and try new things and eat out sometimes too.”

5. Stick to the three-hour rule

“For me it is all about regular feedings, eating every three hours and making sure what you take on at that time is the right thing. I am loving avocado with eggs on toast for breakfast at the moment.

"I don’t drink coffee so a glass of orange juice kick-starts my day. Mid-morning I will maybe have a glass of milk and some fruit. Lunch might be chicken salad which is a bit lower on carbs if I have not been doing much training.

"Mid-afternoon I might have boiled eggs or a piece of fruit and then in the evening I will have a fajita, some meat balls or homemade burgers with sweet potato.

"Just before bed I will have a glass of milk. I sound a bit like a child, don’t I? But milk offers a good source of protein for recovery so I can go again the next day.”

6. Get extra fit with racket sports

“I love to do other sports whenever I can. It is hard in the season when we are training but when I get a rest period I love playing other sports like tennis, badminton and squash. I used to play basketball too but I don’t get much chance any more. However, any opportunity to do something recreational is great.”

7. Don’t just work your core – rotate it too

“Rugby is not a straight up and down sport so we do a lot of rotational work on our core, like hanging off a glute-ham raise machine and moving med balls in varying positions. We aim for variety so we do lots of Swiss ball work and rotational medicine ball movements.

"We also do a lot of plank-based stuff but when you are lifting heavy things over your head that is also a good core exercise without specifically being seen as a core exercise.”

8. Test your body with something new

“Our strength and conditioning coach has added some ‘Strongman exercises.’ We’ve been doing things like flipping big tyres and lifting atlas stones which you pick up in a squat position and drop back down again. Rugby is not an up and down sport so using odd muscles is good for us. We do ice skater stuff, using a slide board so you can imitate an ice skater going from left to right, which is really fun.

"Anything to keep things fresh.”

9. Make your cardio fun again

“We are fortunate that our coaches have incorporated aerobic stuff into our rugby games so instead of running back and forth along the lines like people traditionally do we just get fit by playing games of rugby with the ball in your hand. It is like killing two birds with one stone.

"I play rugby because I love playing rugby. I don’t enjoy running around for the sake of it. For that reason we also train with different games or with different balls. So long as you are hitting the right heart rate and working hard you’re onto a winner.”

10. A slice of cake won’t hurt you

“I have treats in my diet but not all the time. It is also unrealistic to cut them out completely. I just balance it out with the training I have done or how I am feeling with my weight or body composition. I love baking for my sins so there is normally some form of sweet baked treat, a dessert or some cake for me. But when you make it yourself you know what is in it.

"I grew up on a farm and my mum is an incredible baker so there is always something in the cupboard when I go home which is dangerous.”

This summer the RFU are staging a series of Female Inner Warrior Camps throughout the country to encourage women to give rugby a try. Visit www.englandrugby.com/innerwarrior